Everyday Prayers for the School Year预览

May They Find Wise Friends

All of us rely on our friends at times to help us make a decision. The key is to carefully consider which friends we’re asking.

In 1 Kings 12, Rehoboam had just become king after his father Solomon died. When the people asked him to lighten their load, he told them to go away and return in three days.

During those three days, he asked his father’s counselors and his own friends for advice. His father’s counselors told him to answer the people kindly, so they would always be faithful to him. His friends told him to tell the people that he would increase their burdens and discipline them with scorpions.

Instead of listening to Solomon’s older, wiser advisors, Rehoboam followed his friends’ advice, which didn’t go well for him. He quickly lost the ten tribes of Israel, retaining only Judah and Benjamin, and the kingdom was never again one complete people.

Sometimes, the advice our kids take might make little difference in their lives, but at other times, it can profoundly affect our children’s future. Good friends who give wise advice during critical moments are essential for our kids to stay strongly connected to God.

* In elementary school, when they wonder how to treat the new kid, they need friends who encourage them to choose kindness.

* In middle school, when they wonder if they should cheat on a test, they need friends who encourage them to choose integrity.

* In high school, when they face difficult dating decisions, they need friends who encourage them to choose purity.

* In college, when they want to quit, they need friends who encourage them to choose perseverance.

Who are your children’s current friends? What voices are speaking into their life when they have a hard decision?

We can’t always control who their friends are, but we can take our kids to church, get them involved in activities, and encourage relationships that can positively influence them.

We can also help our kids be wise friends in the lives of others by encouraging their relationship with God. Most of all, we can pray.

Ask God to provide your children with friends who will speak life to them, and pray that your children speak life to others.